From rage to radical empathy: activist and astronaut Amanda Nguyen’s lessons on fighting for change

On what drives her work

“My why is really about representation. I want people of all ages, and especially of the communities that I represent, to know that their dreams matter.”

On the origins of her space dreams

“My parents are boat refugees from Vietnam and they learned celestial navigation in order to find their way to freedom. So that legacy really inspired me to study astrophysics at Harvard and MIT.”

On where her activism comes from

“Rage. My activism comes from rage. It also comes from hope. For me, it was a personal experience, gender-based violence. And when I found out that the evidence collected from my assault could be destroyed, I decided to rewrite the law and so I did.”

On role models

“My greatest role model for activism is Jane Goodall. Jane is an icon and so kind and also graceful. She is both a scientist and an advocate and for me that shows that we can be multitudes. Our humanity is about multitudes. So you can at once be science-oriented, but also advocate for whatever it is you want to advocate for.”

On the role of social media in modern activism

“Social media in today's activism is certainly a double-edged sword. On one hand, it has unlocked gates that have traditionally been used to choose certain voices, so that anyone from anywhere can have a platform, go viral, touch millions of lives in hours, but on the other hand, algorithms are not neutral and we have these echo chambers that can perhaps create less of an empathetic world. Social media is a tool and like all tools, it's up to how we use it.”

On the discipline of hope

“Hope is both an emotion and a muscle to practice. In the beginning of my activism journey I felt rage—and rage is a powerful fuel, but that fuel runs out. And what's left is hope, a return on investment of the energy that we put in.”

On beauty, joy and showing up authentically

“Joy is the most radical form of rebellion. Originally, I did wonder what it was like to be in these hallowed hallways—testifying in Congress or at the United Nations. Did I need to look like every other suit that was there? And I realised that actually there's immense power in showing up authentically as ourselves. And so that's why I wear my lipstick. And that's why I have an intention with my fashion and with beauty.”

On the secret to her activism

“It’s radical empathy: the ability to sit in front of someone who may not see the humanity in you, but you try to see the humanity in them. And it's a really tall order to ask of a trauma survivor, perhaps even unfair. But for us, that has been the key of winning every single time.”

Amanda Nguyen’s quotes have been edited for clarity and brevity.

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